Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s Remarks: “Referring to Kim, Kim does not appear to disclose that a first adhesive member ADm, a second adhesive member ADa, and an adhesive member AUk are disposed on the rear surface of the substrate SUB avoiding a specific area.”
Examiner Rebuttal: Examiner disagrees. First, it is unclear what limitation, in independent claim 4, Applicant is referencing. Second, Applicant does not address the Non-Final rejection of independent claim 4.
Examiner reiterates that prior art Kim does teach coating steps of claim 4, namely:
applying a coating solution (fig. 8: S110) on the rear surface of the substrate while avoiding a specific area on the rear surface of the substrate (par. 132-134 and fig. 9A teach Adm being applied, in a patterned manner atop SUB-BS) while a first supplier (fig. 9A: ND1) including a plurality of first nozzles (please see ND1 having a plurality of nozzles) is positioned above the rear surface of the substrate and moved along a first direction (please see fig. 9A which shows ND1 above and depositing solution on SUB);
applying the coating solution (fig. 8: S130) on an uncoated area to which the coating solution is not applied by the first supplier while avoiding a specific area of the substrate while a second supplier including a plurality of second nozzles (please see fig. 9C) moves along a second crossing the first direction (par. 136-140 and fig. 9C teach selectively applying Ada, avoiding certain areas wherein Adm resides)
For at least these reasons, rejection will be made final (as seen below).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 4-7 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (20190378455)
Regarding claim 4, Kim teaches a manufacturing method of a display device, comprising:
preparing a display panel (par. 69-72 teaches a display module being processed, this display module having a display panel) including a plurality of pixels (fig. 4: PX) on an upper surface (fig. 9A: SUB-US) of a substrate (par. 90 teaches a plurality of pixels, as seen in fig. 4, on the SUB-US of a SUB);
seating the display panel on a stage (par. 23, 24, 120 teaches an apparatus/chamber which houses/holds the display panel ready to be subsequently processed) so that a rear surface (fig. 9A: SUB-BS) of the substrate facing the upper surface of the substrate faces upward (please see fig. 9A which shows SUB-BS facing upward toward ND1);
applying a coating solution (fig. 8: S110) on the rear surface of the substrate while avoiding a specific area on the rear surface of the substrate (par. 132-134 and fig. 9A teach Adm being applied, in a patterned manner atop SUB-BS) while a first supplier (fig. 9A: ND1) including a plurality of first nozzles (please see ND1 having a plurality of nozzles) is positioned above the rear surface of the substrate and moved along a first direction (please see fig. 9A which shows ND1 above and depositing solution on SUB);
applying the coating solution (fig. 8: S130) on an uncoated area to which the coating solution is not applied by the first supplier while avoiding a specific area of the substrate while a second supplier including a plurality of second nozzles (please see fig. 9C) moves along a second crossing the first direction (par. 136-140 and fig. 9C teach selectively applying Ada, avoiding certain areas wherein Adm resides); and
curing the coating solution (fig. 8: S140) to form a cover panel including an opening corresponding to the specific area on the rear surface of the substrate (fig. 9D teaches UV curing and leaving an open area, between SU and SUB, on SUB-BS).
Regarding claim 5, Kim teaches a manufacturing method of the display device of claim 4, wherein the rear surface of the substrate includes a first edge and a second edge facing each other in the first direction, and includes a third edge and a fourth edge facing each other in a second direction (please see fig. 9A-9D).
Regarding claim 6, Kim teaches a manufacturing method of the display device of claim 5, wherein the coating solution includes a curable resin (par. 119 and 125).
Regarding claim 7, Kim teaches a manufacturing method of the display device of claim 6, wherein the curable resin includes a thermosetting resin or a photocurable resin (par. 119 and 125).
Regarding claim 18, Kim teaches a manufacturing method of the display device of claim 4, wherein the first direction is one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, and the second direction is the other of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction (please see fig. 9A-9D).
Regarding claim 19, Kim teaches a manufacturing method of the display device of claim 4, further comprising: attaching a circuit board to one side of an upper surface thereof facing the rear surface of the substrate; and inserting a sensor (SU) into the opening (fig. 9B).
Regarding claim 20, Kim teaches a manufacturing method of the display device of claim 19, wherein the sensor includes at least one of a camera, a proximity sensor, an illuminance sensor, a gesture sensor, an infrared sensor, a fingerprint recognition sensor, or a biometric sensor(par. 16, 109-110).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 9 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 8.
Claim 10 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 9.
Claim 11 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 10.
Claim 12 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 10.
Claim 13 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 10.
Claim 14 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 13.
Claim 15 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 14.
Claim 16 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 14.
Claim 17 is objected to based on its dependency on claim 16.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CALEB E HENRY whose telephone number is (571)270-5370. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eva Montalvo can be reached at (571) 270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CALEB E HENRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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